sonnemann



C. SONNEMANN.

CAN OPENER.

APPLICATION man MAR. 2B. 1919.

Patented July 8, 1919.

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C. SONNEMANN.

CAN OPENER. APPLlcATlN FILED MAR. za. 1919.

, l ,$09,224. Patented July 8, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Svi/vamo@ v [iQ/i .Henneman/1 CARL SONNEMANN, OF NEv YORK, N. Y.

CAN-OPENER.

.Application led March 28, 1919.

To all wko/nt it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL SONNEMANN, a citizen. of Germany, residing in New York city, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefull Improvements in Can-Openers, of which the'following is a specification.Y

Thisinvention relatesto improvements in devices for opening herinetically sealed cans such as are used for containing fruits, foods andl like eatable articles in bulk.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a canopener particularly adapted for use in hotels, restaurants andi like eating places, in which relatively large quantities of canned goods are used.

A furtherobject is to provide an apparatus which is-capable of operating upon cans varying considerably in their diameter and length.

further object is to provide an apparatus by which the top of the can may be shearedjclosely to its marginal edges in an expeditious and easy manner.

These andV other like objects are attained byV the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described andshown in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a nr...- terial part ofthis disclosure and in which:

Figure 1 isa perspective view, showing a can opener made in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevationalvand sectional view showing the joint by'whichthe knife lever is engaged with its support;

Fig. 3' is a partial top plan and sectional vview showing the relation of the gripping `tapped' to receive ascrew 1:4, provided with a cup shaped point 15 adapted to engage below the supporting surface of a table, Ibench or shelfupon which the apparatus is mounted, the screw being actuated by an extendin T shaped head. 16.V A

ii spari? may rbe setin the'lower surface Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 191.9.

Serial No. 285,724.

of the plate 10 engageable with the upper surface of the support so to hold the appara-tus firmly in position.

raised boss 18 extends from theV center of the plate 10 andv has set rigidly therein a stub shaft 19 on which isrot'at'ably mounted thefhubof a work plate or platform-2O having on its lower surface the teeth of a circular rack or gear 22 adapted to beV driven by a pinion 28Y fixed upon a short horizont-al spindle V24 mounted in apair of brackets 25 raised from the plate 10 near its downturned end;

The extreme outer endV 2Gvof the shaft 24 is formed rectangular-ly and suited to receive the hub 28 of a lever 29 having an extending, manually operable handle 305 by which the pinion 23 may be rotated, the hub being removably held in engagement by aset screw 81 so that by turning the handle Y 80, the platform 20 may be rotated upon a vertical axis.

Fixed in projectionsl 32, extending: outwardly in opposite directions levelwith the surface of the platform 20, are a pair of posts 85 having upon their outer longitudinal surfaces toothed racks 36. The extreme upper ends 37 of the posts are reduced in diameter and provided with: nutsV 38 by which the extending lugs 89 ofy a plate ring 40 are securely clamped upon the shouldered ends of the posts.

Engaged within the plate ring 40 isV a thicker ring 42, in which is pivotally mounted, between pair of' upstanding lugs 43, the inner en d of a lever 44 providedY with an operative handle 45 and a detent element 46 engageable in a segmental' rack 48 formed upon the' upper surface of the plate ring 40 in such manner that the inner ring may be rotated with respect to the outer supporting ring and locked in position by properly manipulating the handle 45, the inner ring 42 having a. peripheral annular groove receptive of the inner edge of the plate ring 40 as best shown in Fig. 4;

Fixed at uniformly spaced distances on the lower side of thc plate ring40 are three rigid studs or posts 5() to which are engaged the ends of short chains 51, the oppositeVV ends of which are similarly fixedly engaged upon posts 52 set in the lowerV surface of the inner, rotatable ring 42.

Thus when the lever 44 is raised so that 'theldetent element'46 is disengaged from the 48the inner ring'- may be rotated with reference to the outer plate ring and it will be obvious that the chains 51 may be moved toward or from the rigid connections 50, thereby constituting clamp elements adapted to engage the exterior of different diameters of cans, indicated by the letter C, and if the can be of very small diameter, the chains may be slipped downward on the posts 50, permitting the opposite ends of the chains to pass, as best shown in Fig. 6, the chains being adapted to engage and firmly clasp the exterior of the can, clamping the same in a central position.

The lower end of the can rests upon an adjustable support plate 54 having opposite extending elements 55 containing openings through which the posts 35 and racks 36 freely pass.

Pairs of lugs 56 on the upper surfaces of the forked ends of the extension 55 have pivotally mounted in them upon pins 57, levers 58 formed with operative handles 59 at their outer ends and provided with detent elements 60 at their inner ends, the same being engageable with the teeth of the racks 36. Thus it is possible to adjust the height of the plate 54 relative to the rings 40 and 42, so that cans placed thereon may extend to a substantially uniform height, the adjustment being maintained by properly manipulating the levers 58, so that the detents engage at a desired point in the teeth of the rack 36.

At the extreme outer end of -the base plate 10 is a raised post 62 terminating in a screwthreaded end 63 engageable with which is an internally threaded collar 64 having an enlarged head 65 and containing an opening 66 throughwhich passes a pivot 67, its head or base 68 being enlarged and held in contact with the post end 63 so as to rotate thereon but prevented from rising due to the collar 64.

The extending upper end of the pivot 67 terminates in a pair of forks 70 in which, pivoted on the pin 7l, is a lever 72 having anY operative handle 73 and provided substantially central of its length with a projection 74 in which is engaged a knife or cutter 75 adapted to be pressed downwardly and pierce the cover or top of a can, shearing the same from its cylindrical body when the can is rotated thus enabling the can top to be cut closely to its edges permitting the contents of the can to be removed in a desirable manner, v the combination joints allowing the lever to be raised or lowered, as well as turned upon the axis of the post 62 so as to accommodate cans of different diameter.

In operation, the lever 44 being raised and turned to the right and the lever 72 moved completely free of the top of the apparatus, an ordinary sealed can is placed in the opening of the ring 42 and Aseated upon the surface of the plate 54, which is then raised or lowered, if adjustment be necessary, so that the top of the can is substan ti ally level with the ring 42, whereupon the lever 44 is again manipulated so as to cause the chains 51 to firmly clamp upon the sides of the can holding it in a rigid central position.

rIhe lever 72 is then operated by the handle 73 so that the cutter is forced downwardly into the can, whereupon the crank handle 30 is actuated, causing the platform 20 and superstructure secured thereto, including the can, to rotate, shearing the top or cover of the can in an obvious manner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that an effective apparatus has been disclosed in which ordinary food cans of various sizes may be opened in a clean and eiective manner, so that their contents are accessible by reversing the can on a suitable receptacle, and that the operation is performed in an easy and expeditious manner.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A can opener comprising a base and means for securing said base to a support, a platform rotatable in a vertical axis on said base, means for manually rotating said platform, iexible means carried on IVsaid platform for adjustably engaging the periphery of a can, and adjustable support for the can, a cutter adapted to sever theV cover from the body of the can, said cutter being pivoted to move laterally and horizontally with respect to the can, and means for manipulating said cutter.

2. A can opener comprising a frame, a platform rotatable on a vertical axis on said frame, means for manually rotatingsaid platform, a pair of posts set upon opposite sides of said platform, racks carried by said posts, a plate slidable on said posts, detents carried by said plate engageable with said racks for adjusting the height of said plate, flexible can clamps carried at the extremities of said posts, and a lever carried cutter so mounted as to engage with any part of the cover of a can resting upon said plate.

3. A can opener comprising a fixed base, a platform rotatable thereover, means for manually rotating said platform, posts extending upward upon opposite sides of said platform, a plate having elements slidably engaged in said posts, means on said posts for holding said plate in adjustment, a plate ring secured at the upper ends of said posts, an annular ring rotatable in said plate ring,

a gear segment formed with said plate ring, a lever pivoted on said annular ring having a part engageable with said gear segment, a plurality of chains, fixed connections between the ends of each of said chains, and said plate ring, other xed connections between the opposite ends of said chains and said annular ring, a cutter universally mounted to operate over said rings, and means for manually actuating said cutter.

4l. A can opener comprising a base and means for clamping said base to a support, a platform rotatable in a vertical axis on said base, means for manually rotating said platform, a pair of oppositely disposed posts set in said platform, a plate adjustable on said posts, means for holding said plate in adjustment, a plate ring secured at the upper extremities of said posts, an inner ring rotatably engaged with said plate ring, a lever for operating said inner ring, means for holding said lever in adjustment, a plurality of clamp chains, each of said chains being secured at one end to said plate ring, connections between opposite ends of said chains and said inner ring, so arranged that the said chains may be moved one past the other and clamped upon an article presented therebetween, a cutter movable over said rings, a lever on which said cutter is mounted, universal joint connections at one end of said lever whereby said cutter may be raised or lowered or moved laterally, and a handle for said lever.

5. A can opener comprising a base frame,

a platform journaled on a vertical axis thereon, means for rotating said platform, posts on said platform, a plate engageable at different heights on said posts, a fixed plate ring at the tops of said posts, a second ring rotatable in said fixed ring, a plurality of flexible friction elements engaged at their opposite ends with said fixed and rotatable rings respectively, means for turning' said rotatable ring whereby said friction elements are flexed, and a manually oper# able cutter engageable with the object held by said chains.

6. A can opener comprising a rigid base and means for connecting said base with a support, a rotatable platform on said base, means for actuating said platform, flexible means on said platform for securing cans of varying diameters, a post secured to said base, a hinged joint rotatable on the upper end of said post, a lever connected to said joint, a cutter carried by said lever, and a handle on said lever by which it may be manipulated whereby said cutter may be operatively engaged with the cover of a can on said platform.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specilication.

CARL SONNEMAN N.

Copies o! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner ot Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

